Adjustable orthopedic insole



Dec. 15, 1953 D. J. MoRToN 2,662,309

ADJUSTABLE ORTHOPEDIC INSOLE Filed Aug. 22, 1952 INVENTOR. DUDLEY J. MORTON ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. l5, 1953 ADJUSTABLE ORTHOPEDIC INS'OLE Dudley J. Morton, New York, N. Y., assigner to Professional Research Products, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application August 22, 1952, Serial No. 305,752

3 Claims. 1

rhis invention relates to adjustable orthopedic insoles of the general class described in the co-pending application Serial No. 158,090, filed June le, 1950, now Patent Number 2,623,307, and has for its object the provision of a personalized insole that can be fitted or adjusted by the orthopedic surgeon to the patients foot at the surgeons oiiee where the surgeon can make such changes in a stock insole without the use of machinery to t it to the patients foot.

The insole furnished the surgeon is, therefore, an article ci manufacture which is completed for use by the surgeon by tting pads thereto to suit the individual patients requirements.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a top plan view of an insole embodying the invention for the left foot;

Figures 2 to 5, inclusive, are sectional views of the insole Figure l, on the lines 2, 3, Ll, and 5 of Figure l;

Figure 6 is an edge view 0I the insole Figure 4, with the parts separated to show the construction; and

Figure 'Z is a sectional longitudinal view of the insole Figure 1.

Referring to Figure l, the aforesaid co-pending application discloses an insole having an upper top member Ii made of leather, or the like, to t into a shoe and extend from the extreme rear point I2 of the heel to a point i3 just below the ball of the foot and behind the juncture of the four metatarsal bones and their phalanges.

The top l I is formed with a forwardly extended portion I t which extends under the front end of the iirst metatarsal and forms (together with pad I5) a platform to compensate for any shortness or laxness in this metatarsal and restore even weight distribution, as fully explained in said co-p-ending application. This corrects weight distribution due to metatarsal disorder.

The top member II carrying pad I5 has a stiffening liner IE5 of any suitable material such as commonly employed or such liners cemented or otherwise secured thereto, and same covers the insole from heel E2 to a point I?, a short distance in iront of the upwardly curved portion it of the insole.

A bottom member I9 preferably of leather is now attached to member Ii and is of exactly the same shape as II, and stitching it may pass through the liner I6 which may be of any desired thickness.

The outer edges of members It and II may be cemented together and tooled to present a closed rounded edge, and the curved instep portion I8 may be formed in the insole by pressing same to the desired shape.

The entire insole unit may, if desired, be pressed or otherwise shaped to conform generally to the bottom or" the foot, provided the pad I5 and member 2'! (hereinafter described) are so placed as to function as herein described when said insole is so shaped.

The second essential object of this invention, to counteract the excessive bruising pressure on the soft tissues immediately under the iront end of overloaded metatarsal bones, is attained by securing a Weight-diffusing element or member 2i to member IS by cement or in any suitable manner.

The element ZI may be of rather dense sponge rubber or the like, but is not to be considered as a pad or support, as its real function is to distribute the weight applied thereto by the four lateral metatarsals after same has been corrected as just described over a considerable area as dened by said member which, as best seen in Figure 1, will' underlie all the metatarsals immediately rearwardiy of the Contact points thereof, and then extend rearwardly toward the heel a sumcient distance to diluse the weight applied during weight-bearing.

It will be observed that the member 2l does not extend to or support the arch of the foot and does not come near the tarsal bones.

The edges of the member 2l may be rounded to present a neat appearance and it may be tapered toward the front and rear edges as shown by dotted lines 22, Figure 6.

Obviously, if the members ii and i9 are cemented together to produce a rounded edge around the insole as aforesaid and as pointed out in said :zo-pending application, the surgeon cannot change the height of pad I5 after receiving insoles from the manufacturer. Neither can he easily detach member 2i which is cemented to member I9 to change the height of 2i.

As it is necessary that pad I5 and member 2I be varied in height to suit various foot conditions, it is necessary for the manufacturer to make hundreds oi combinations necessary to meet these conditions which necessitates a large stock be kept both by the manufacturer and the surgeon. Even if this is done, there are many instances where no stock insole will meet the requirements, which means that special insoles must be ordered from the maker, causing extra expense and delay.

These difficulties are eliminated by the present invention, whereby the surgeon need only keep a relatively small stock of insoles to correspond with shoe sizes, and can change the heights of the compensating member I5 and weightdiiusing member 2l to suit the individual patient. This is accomplished by stitching across the insole at Een, and leaving the outer edge of the forwardly extending portion Id thereof open around the toe between the points 22 and 23.

The pad I5 may be greatly reduced in thiol:- ness-in fact may be omitted in most cases, for when the stitching 22a is used, a pocket is formed below the toe portion Iii of the insole and a suitable pad 24 is placed therein and by itself or together with pad l5 elevates the portion l of the insole the desired amount. This pad 24 is easily cemented in place after being fitted and the outer edges of the upper layer I I and bottom member i9 around portion Ill of the insole are cemented together to enclose pads I5 and 2li.

Also, the edge of the insole between the points 23 and 25 left open, a line of stitching being run across the insole at 2%. This forms a pocket in which the weight-diffusing member 2| may be placed. It may be greatly reduced in thicknessin fact may be omitted in inost cases. Also, in this pocket is placed a pad 2 and by itself or together with pad 2i elevates the portion of the insole above the weight-diffusing member 2i to suit the individual patient.

The pad 2 is easily cemented in place after being tted and the outer edges of the upper layer II and the bottom member i9 around the entrance to the pocket between points 23 and Z5 are cemented together to enclose pads 2l and 2l'.

From the foregoing it will be noted that the surgeon receives from the manufacturer the insole with the seams open at the entrance to the pockets designated A and B in Figure 1, and then adds pads i5, 2&2 and 2l, 2 as required, cementing theni in place and cementing the edges of the pockets to completely enclose the pads. By this means personalized insoles can be made without the use or" machinery and adjusted to meet the foot condition to be treated.

What is claimed is:

i. An article of manufacture comprising an insole adapted to underlie a human foot and having a front extension adapted to extend only under the forward end or" the first rnetatarsal bone of the foot comprising a top member, a bottom member, means securing said members permanently together adjacent the edges thereof but leaving an open pocket formed between said members and underlying said front extension and a second open pocket underlying that portion of the insole below the shafts oi all the metatarsal bones from a point immediately back of the heads of all the metatarsals, said pockets adapted to receive pads of varying thicknesses, to compen- 4 sate for shortness or laxity of the rst metatarsal and to diffuse pressure over an area extending behind and transverse said insole and extending laterally across said insole substantially the full width thereof.

2. An insole adapted to be inserted in a shoe, and comprising top and bottom members adapted to underlie a human foot and having a front extension adapted to extend only under the forward end of the first metatarsal bone of said foot, a pocket formed in said insole between said members, a non-cushioning pad secured in said pocket and underlying the head of the first metatarsal bone only and adapted to compensate for shortness or laxity of said metatarsal, means or securing said members together with said pad therebetween, a second pocket formed in said insole between said members, and a weight-diiusing pad in said second pocket and. extending transversely of same, and underlying the shai'ts of all the metatarsal bones from a point immediately baci; oi the heads of all the metatarsals and adapted, when worn in a shoe, to diffuse pressure over an area extending behind and transverse said insoie, said weight-diffusing cushion member extending laterally across said insole substantially the full width thereof.

3. An insole adapted to be inserted in a shoe and comprising top and bottom members adapted to underlie a human foot in said shoe, said members having a iront extension adapted to extend only under the forward end oi the first metatarsal bone of said foot, a pocket formed in said insole between said members, a non-cushioningpad secured in said pocket and underlying the head of the first metatarsal bone only and adapted to compensate for shortness or laxity thereof, a stiiening element secured between said members and extending from the heel to a point forward of the instep of said insole, means for securing said members together with said pad and said stiiiening member therebetween, a second pocket formed in said insole between said members, and a v-.feight--diusing cushion member in said pocket and extending transversely of the same and forward of said stiiening member and underlying the shafts of all the metatarsal bones from a point immediately back of the heads of all said metatarsals and adapted, when worn in a shoe, to diiluse weight over the entire area dened by said cushion member, said last member extending laterally across said insole substantially the full width thereof.

DUDLEY J. MORTON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,270,003 Carling June 18, 1018 1,272,994 Phelps July 16, 1918 

